Chicken tenders are having a moment, and so is Dave’s Hot Chicken.
From McDonald’s to Wendy’s and Taco Bell, several fast-food chains have launched new chicken strips and tenders over the past year.
But for spots like Dave’s Hot Chicken and Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy!, crispy chicken has always been the main event.
In a recent report on the most beloved brands in America, Yelp named Dave’s Hot Chicken as the top chain to watch, with 71% of reviews rating it four stars or higher.
I compared the signature hot chicken tenders from Dave’s Hot Chicken and Chicken Guy to determine which one offered better taste and value.
I first tried the hot chicken tenders from Chicken Guy!, Guy Fieri’s fast-casual chicken restaurant.
I ordered three hot chicken tenders from Chicken Guy! in Atlantic City. It cost $10.49, excluding tax, and came with a choice of two sauces.
Compared to Dave’s Hot Chicken, Chicken Guy! is a smaller chain.
There are 19 locations in the US, while Dave’s Hot Chicken operates 245 locations as of 2024, according to Restaurant Business.
The tenders were coated in a crispy layer of breadcrumbs.
The tenders were dusted in spicy seasoning that clung to every inch.
I chose two sides of donkey sauce, a blend of mayonnaise, lemon, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and roasted garlic, to pair with the tenders.
The chicken tenders had a slight kick of spices without lighting my taste buds on fire.
The tenders had a subtle kick, but were still mild enough not to have me reaching for my drink between bites. As someone with a moderate tolerance for spice, I thought these tenders struck a nice balance.
However, if you’re a real spice hound, I could see how the lower spice level could be disappointing if you’re looking for a truly hot chicken tender.
The chicken tenders themselves impressed me, but weren’t what I expected of a hot chicken tender.
While I thought the chicken was tender and shreddable, the spice level fell a bit short of my expectations. It was on par with the spicy chicken nuggets from McDonald’s or Wendy’s, but nowhere near as hot as the Original Hot tenders from Wingstop, for reference.
If Chicken Guy! really wants to live up to the “hot tender” name, it might need to bump up the heat.
The hot chicken tenders from Dave’s Hot Chicken definitely delivered on spice, size, and value.
I ordered a two-piece hot tender combo, which also came with fries, bread, Dave’s sauce, and pickles, for $15.49, plus tax and fees.
The chicken tenders were so large that it was hard to dip them in the sauce cup.
The breading on the Dave’s tenders was thicker than that on the ones from Chicken Guy!, but I thought it added even more flavor to the tenders.
Rather than a dusting of spicy seasoning, the tenders from Dave’s were visibly bright red, an indication of how hot they would be when I bit in.
These chicken tenders were seriously spicy.
The accompanying side of Dave’s sauce tempered the heat somewhat, but these hot tenders were at the peak of what I can handle in terms of spice.
Similar to a Nashville hot chicken, the spice lingered in my mouth. It brought maximum flavor, but I was definitely feeling the heat.
If you’re looking for a truly hot, high-quality chicken tender, I recommend Dave’s.
The chicken tender itself was big — almost the size of a half-breast — juicy, and deliciously flavorful. I also thought the tenders, as part of the combo meal, were a good value, given the generous serving of fries, pickles, and bread, as well as the sheer size of the tenders.
Even though I got three tenders at Chicken Guy!, the two from Dave’s were arguably more filling due to their bigger size and thicker breading.
I’d order both of these tenders again, but if you’re looking for spice, Dave’s Hot Chicken was the only chain that lived up to its spicy name.
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